A Lake County woman has been charged, accused of disciplining other people’s children.
Deputies were called after parents found out a sleepover at a Lady Lake home included abuse, officials said.
“I don’t understand it. I can’t comprehend why,” one mother said.
Several Lady Lake parents are trying to answer the same question after multiple kids reported being hit by a woman at a house where the kids had been hanging out.
“One girl mentioned that she was hit in the knee with a wooden spoon, and another one said that she was hit with a shoe. And then there was another victim who was held down so that she would not leave,” said Fred Jones of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
According to the police report, Erin Pierce claims one of the children gave her the finger and she kicked him out of the house.
The report said, “once outside of the house, Ms. Pierce advised she ‘popped’ the juvenile victim on the legs and butt a few times with her daughter’s belt.”
“My son came running home to my mother and told her what was going on and called the police,” a local mother said.
Deputies responded to the neighborhood just before 3 a.m. after talking with Pierce and documenting the injuries to the child who ran home.
Deputies heard similar stories from other children.
Pierce was arrested and charged with four counts of child abuse and one count of false imprisonment. She has since bonded out of jail.
